studio sunday

'if i fits i sits' friday

making a yacht tardis

This post title makes me giggle. Only Katie and Shawn would be the recipients of a Yacht Tardis. Why would I make these fine folks a Yacht Tardis? Because they're awesome, of course. Katie and Shawn live on a yacht. And they happen to be huge Who fans. Ergo, a Yacht Tardis.

This fridge magnet is a two-parter. The exterior is their house-yacht, Gallifrey.

When you open the boat, it's a tardis!

Felt puzzle pieces

In the picture above, you can just barely see the magnet in the upper-left corner of the gray tardis interior. The tardis is closed in this picture, with a matching magnet on the other side. I completed the tardis interior first. The interior is folded and fastened shut in the photo above so that I could complete the yacht exterior and sew it to the floor portion of the tardis.

I use Super Strong Neodymium Magnets - those two teeny magnets holding the tardis operation together also hold the magnet to the fridge.

Sometimes you have to try things twice.

I loved the colors.

They got married in San Juan Capistrano. Us lucky ducks got to go!

You can see the Tardis phone booth door on the left side of the Tardis interior.

Electron-tubey thingy-ma-bobs...or whatever tubes are sticking out of the central console.

I wrapped wire in a single teal thread to create the electron-tubey thingy-ma-bobs, and secured them in a hard vellum cover. If their function/name is stated in one of the episodes, I've no doubt Katie and Shawn will explain it to me.

Gallifrey needed a thread-wrapped life preserver, and wire hang rail. 

Packed for the trip, wishful scroll and all. Gallifrey had quite the journey. Imagine my surprise when nearly two weeks later, the UPS tracking says Gallifrey had been hanging tight in the Bell Gardens UPS facility for many, many days. I freaked out when I learned this facility is infamous for extended vacations, and sometimes unintended homes, for packages. Go ahead and read the forums, if you will, there are many. ~Incidentally, the mayor was arrested for fraud.~ BUT WHO (other than Katie and Shawn) WOULD WANT MY FELT YACHT TARDIS MAGNET?! IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!!

Well Katie and Shawn eventually received their miniature home/time machine/spacecraft. And I loved that I got an ecstatic note from Katie hours after the first thank you when they realized it opened into a tardis. SURPRISE! Much love, happiness, and space-time continuum journeys for you both. xoxo

'if i fits i sits' friday

making a forest revelry - part 3

Percussion 

Strings

 Winds 

Wooooords 

Toothpick drumstick

The drumstick is not attached to the drum or rabbit paw yet. It makes framing and photographing impossible, so the last piece of the creation is figuring out how to keep them together.

Wire triangle and chipmunk bell

These groovy cats are my favorite. The racoon's face is so smiley.

Wire wrapped leggies

I plan to redo the bow sometime with a teeny piece of wood and string.

Rock n Roll McDoooonald's

• Forest Revelry Print
• Making a forest revelry part 1, part 2, and the players

studio sunday

'if i fits i sits' friday

making a forest revelry - part 2

4 months later ~

I created this piece to test my own needlecraft skill. I think it's safe this piece took ~100 hours over the course of 6 months. Some weeks were more productive than others. I brought the trees with me to California ~ 3 hr bursts on each flight, and roughly 6 hours on Amtraks down the coast.

This kind of work puts me into a meditative state. I think people are surprised to hear that when they see the detail and size. I'm sure this type of obsessive work would drive some people mad.

The wires are wrapped with a single thread. I keep the wire long so it's easier to handle and bend. The short pieces above were cut after they were shaped. I use dark annealed steel wire - 28 gauge - soft jewelry wire that is easy to cut and bend.

I love this part. At some point the pieces start to come to life. I like holding them in my hand :) .

I started work for my website banner around the same time. after working obsessively on one project for 4 months, taking a break was so rejuvenating.

I tried the mice several times. The guys in my hand above used the simplest approach -- and of course I tried the easy way last. A couple failures:

The first party! When I first imagined them, Nemo was barreling through Boston. They were set in a wintry wonderland. By the time I finished, though, spring was in full bloom and summer flowers were creeping in.

I gave the earth a new dress.

Party!

• Forest Revelry Print
• Making a forest revelry part 1 and part 3

studio sunday

'if i fits i sits' friday

making a pincushion

I'm notorious in these parts for having a very bad habit. Very bad. Sometimes I realize, "Oh darn! I've used up all my needles." Where did they go? On the rug, in my boyfriend's office, on some poor stranger's lap on the T, and Dave's least favorite - in bed :( . Anywho, my brother and I did some antique shopping the other day, and a handful of  tea cups made me swoon. They were smaller than the palm of my hand. 

Instantly I thought of Mimi Kirchner's tiny world pincushions. She is local to the Boston area.

I cut a piece of fabric into a circle about 2" longer than the tea cup diameter on all sides. I rolled cotton into a ball, and wrapped it in fabric, and fastened with a rubber band.

I cut the excess fabric from the top. Easy peasy!